Ball-winding machine.



PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

} F. J: FAULKNER. BALL WINDING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED MAY l8 1904. RENEWED FEB. 21, 1906.

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No. 830,703. PATENIED 512111, 1906.

P. J. PAULKNER.

. BALL WINDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 19'q .nmmwnn FEB. 21. 1906.

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PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

F. J. FAULKN ER.

BALL WINDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1904. RENEWED FEB. 21. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

BALL-WINDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1906.

Application filed May 18, 1904. Renewed February 21, 1906. Serial No. 302,270-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK J. FAULKNER,a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ball winding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ball-winding ma- [0 chines; and the object thereof is to provide a machine by means of which a ball may be wound with yarn or thread to produce an approximately perfect sphere, and in the provision of devices whereby the balls may be wound in such manner as to be substantially identical as to diameter and weight, the machine being also provided with means whereby when the ball has attained the requisite diameter the winding will be automatically suspended.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine adapted by means of certain adjustments to produce balls of different diamete s.

This machine is especially adapted to the manufacture of base-balls in which uniformity of diameters and weight and a substantially true spherical form are prime essentials, and the construction is clearly illus- 3o trated in the drawings accompanying this specification, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the front of the machine, a portion of certain parts being broken'away. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the 3 5 same. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the upper portion of the machine on line 4 4, Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, on a suit- 40 able frame, as a, the standards I) and b are secured, in the upper ends of which bearings are provided for a shaft'c, on which there is mounted a ball-winding drum d, rotatable with the shaft and slidable thereon. This 5 ball-winding drum d will be hereinafter referred to, except in the claims, as the drum (Z for the sake of brevity. On one end of the shaft c is secured a cone-pulley 6, over which the driving-belt f runs. Another shaft 9 is mounted in the frame a beneath and parallel with the shaft 0. On one end of said shaft g is another cone-pulley h with a driving-belt i, connecting it with the pulley e. On the hub of the drum (1 is a collar j,

fitted into an annular groove in the hub, within which collar the hub rotates. Two

rods lc, parallel with the shaft 0, are secured to this collar, passing loosely through perforations in the shaft-bearing on the upper end of the standard I) and are united beyond said bearing by the cross-head m, from which a connecting-rod 0 extends to a crank p, supported on a vertical shaft 9 in a hollow post r, bolted to the frame. On the lower end of this shaft is a second crank 8, having a stud therein which enters a cam-groove t in the face of a cam wheel 12, secured on the shaft g. In this manner the rotation of the shaft 0 will rotate the shaft. 9 through the driving belt i, and the rotation of the cam-wheel 1) through the connections above described will impart to the drum reciprocating endwise movements on the shaft 0 while the latter is rotating, the direction of the rotation of the drum being indicated by the arrows thereon in Figs. 3 and 4.

In the cone-pulleys e and h means are provided whereby by shifting the belt i the frequency of the endwise movements of the drum (1 may be varied relative to its speed of rotation. This is necessary because it is obvious that a ball of relatively small diameter will be rotated much more rapidly than one of a larger diameter, the speed of the drum being constant, and consequently the endwise movements of the drum must be in creased relative to its speed of rotation in proportion to the reduction of the diameter of the balls in order to maintain a true spherical shape in the ball.- It is to be understood, however, that the frequency of endwise movements of the drum does not vary guriing the winding of any particular size of At the front of the machine and supported on the frame are two hangers w, in which the shaft w is supported, and on the latter, three L-shaped levers y are carried, each of which is capable of independent oscillation on the shaft. The long arms of these levers y extend in a horizontal direction from the front toward the rear side of the machine, as shown in Fig. 3 particularly, and from the rear ends thereof (to a suitable eyebolt 2 in the floor) a spiral spring 3 extends, preferably provided with a turnbuckle 4 or some similar device.

space for certain other parts to be described.

tion of which extends toward the face of the.

drum at a sharp angle to the arm 5, the face of the jaw being curved backward on a radius substantially equal to that of the ball, which is indicated by 8.

It will be seen by referring to Figs. 3 and 4 that the lower portion of the jaw 7 extends beneath the ball beyond a perpendicular line let fall through the center of the ball. This part ofthe jaw, therefore, serves to support the ball either when the latter is in contact with the face of the drum d or swung away therefrom, as in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 2, this jaw is relatively narrow as compared with the diameter of the ball, and to hold the latter during the winding operation in a substantially fixed vertical position there is mounted on the upper end of each of the curved arms 5 a ball-guide 9, which is approximately semicircular in cross-section, the open side thereof being contiguous to the windingdrum. This guide is provided lengthwise thereof with a rib 10, having a long slot 12 therein, and a bolt 13 extends through the upper end of the curved arm 5 and through this slot 12, whereby the guide may be secured in any desired position relative to the jaw 7 on said arm 5.

The axis of the guide is vertically disposed with the small end thereof at the bottom.

' Thus as the ball is gradually built up it will be supported in vertically-disposed planes by the jaw located centrally beneath it and by the borders of the guide.

The guide is provided with a centrally-disposed slot running lengthwise thereof wide enough to permit the jaw 7 to project therethrough. This slot is indicated by 9 and is shown clearly in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, and it will be seen by referring to Fig. 4 that the curved portion of the jaw 7 at its deepest point is practically flush with the bottom of the guide. The ball, therefore, will have the support of the jaw 7 beneath it, and the contact with the sides of the guide 9 on opposite sides thereof will keep the ball in its proper position on the jaw, the direction of rotation of the drum being such as to hold the ball to its seat on said jaw 7.

The guide is applied to the arm 5 with the smaller end thereof downward, and by adjusting it vertically on the bolt 13 a wider or a narrower portion thereof may be located in position to support a ball resting in the jaw 7, this adjustment of the trough depending upon the diameter of the ball to be wound.

Between a post 14 on the upper end of the arm 5 and another post 1 5 near the upper end of the short arm ofthe lever y is a spiral spring 16, which tends to normally swing the upper end of the arm 5 away from the drum 4. At 17 on the lever y and in proximity to the lower end of the arm 5 there is pivotally supported a lever 18, the inner end of which is provided with a notch with which the lower end of the arm 5 may engage, whereby the ball 8 may be held in contact with the surface of the drum (1.

The engagement between the arm 5 and the notched end of the lever 18 is maintained during the winding operation by means of the horizontally-disposed bar 20, pivotally supported at 21 between two uprights 22, one end of which by means of a short link 18 is connected with the inner end of the lever 18, the other end of said bar being pressed downward by the spiral spring 23 on a post 24 in the frame of the machine. This construction is clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. One of these bars 20 is provided for each of the levers 18,there being one lever of course on each of the levers 3 The posts 24 are extended through the frame of the machine, and the long arm of the levers y is connected to the lower extremity of these posts, the latter for a distance above the surface of the frame being threaded and provided with nuts 25 by the adjustment of which the downward throw of these levers y may be determined, and whenever the machine is to be adjusted to wind balls the levers y, by means of the nuts on the posts 24, must be adjusted to permit the short arms thereof to swing near enough to the face of the drum d to permit the proper contact of the ball therewith at the beginning of the winding operation.

As the ball grows larger in diameter with the winding the short arms of the levers 7/ are forced awayfrom the drum, and the post 24, connected with the opposite end of the arms, will in consequence be raised proporti onately, which will result in the gradual depression of the inner end of the lever 18 until at that moment when the ball has attained the required diameter the lower end of the curved arm 5 will be in position to snap out of the notch in the inner end of said lever 18, this being effected by the action of the spring 16, and thus the machine is rendered automatic in its action to the extent described.

The disengagement between the lower end of the arm 5 and the lever 18 may be effected at any time by the operator of the machine by raising the outer end of the lever 18, whereby the disengagement of the arm 5 therewith will be effected by the action of the spring 16, and to start the machine after this disengagement has been automatically effected the rod 26 is pulled out,'the lower end of the arm 5 snapping into the notch of the lever 1.8 by reason of the tension of the spring 23.

The y arn or other thread 27, which is wound that each ball may jaw 7 to locate that an eye 29 on the frame of the machine and from thence to the guide-rolls 80, located on the short end of the levers y and from this point around another guide-roll 31, located farther up on the same lever, these last named rolls being so placed that, as shown in Fig. 3, the yarn may run therefrom directly up through the lower end of the ball-guide to the lower portion of the jaw 7, which, as shown in Fig. 2, is provided with a groove 7 to receive it.

From the foregoing description it is clear be wound independently of the other, that the winding of any one of the balls may be suspended at any time without interfering with the winding of the others, and that balls having different maximum and minimum diameters may, if desired, be wound on the same machine simultaneously.

While provision is made in the machine shown herein for winding three balls simultaneously, the machine may be constructed to opeaate upon a greater or less number, if desire In the manufacture of base-balls a more or less resilient spherical core is covered in layers with windings of different material and the balls are put through in large lots, all being subjected successively to the various winding operations necessary to complete them. It is therefore only necessary that the range of adjustability of these machines should be equal substantially to the thickness of any one layer. They have, however, as a matter of fact, a much wider range of adjustment, and balls having widely-differing diameters may be simultaneously wound on these machines, if necessary-that is to say, balls in different stages of their manufacture may be wound simultaneously.

In the operation of the machine, therefore, where the balls are going through the factory regularly in large lots the ball-guides 9 would all be adjusted at substantially the same height relative to the seat of the ball in the part of the guide having the required diameter at the proper place relative to the ball seated in the jaw 7. The levers y are then adjusted by means of the nuts 25 to cause the short arms of the levers on which the balls are supported to swing near enough to the surface of the drum to bring the ball in contact therewith when the lower end of the arm 5 is swung into engagement with the lever 18. Prior to effecting this engagement to start the winding the yarn or thread 27 is passed around the guiderolls on each of the levers y in the mannerdescribed and carried up through the lower end of the ball-guide and the end made fast to the core by being passed a few times around the latter by hand. The core is then dropped onto its seat in the jaw 7 in the ball-guide and the rod 26 pulled out to swing the arm 5 toward the drum to bring the ball into contact with the drum,-the other end of the arm engaging said lever 18. The winding operation will begin with the contact of the ball with the drum and will continue until such time as the constantly-increasing diameter of the ball shall have effected the automatic disengagement of the arm 5 in the manner described. Preferably the drum d should not be turned off very smooth, as a slightly-roughened surface will obviate all danger of slipping between the ball and the drum, and thus insure more perfect winding.

It is thus apparent that as many of the ball-winding devices as one operative can take care of may be operatedby one drum, as each device will be automatically operated to stop the winding operation as soon as the ball therein has reached the proper size, and by means of the adjusting devices of the springs 3 the pressure under which all the balls are wound may be made uniform, and consequently the completed balls will not only be of the same diameter, but also of the same weight.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a ball-winding machine, the combination of a rotatable ball-winding drum,with a jaw extending from the rear side of the ball underneath the same and beyond its vertical center, to support the ball during the winding operation, and means to press the jaw toward the drum, said jaw having a groove or the like in its lower forward edge to constitute a yarn-guide.

2. In a ball-winding machine, the combination of a rotatable ball-winding drum, a

jaw extending from the rear side of the ball underneath the same and beyond its vertical center to support it during the winding operation, a ball-guide, trough-shaped in crosssection and supported in operative relation to the jaw to constitute a support for the sides of the ball, said jaw and guide providing supports for the ball in rectangularly-disposed planes only.

3. In a ball-winding machine the combination of a ball-winding drum with a jaw to press the ball against the drum during the Winding operation, a ball-guide open toward the drum and supported in operative relation to the jaw, the ball-winding drum on the one hand and the jaw and ball-guide on the other 'hand being laterally movable in relation one to the other, there being a groove on the lower edge of the jaw to constitute a yarn-guide.

4. In a ball-winding machine, the combination of a rotatable ball-winding drum with a j aw which presses the ball toward the drum during the winding of the ball; and an ad justable tapering ball-guide supported on the jaw open toward the drum.

5. The combination with a plurality of ball-receiving mechanisms, and a rotatable drum common to all of said mechanisms, the latter and said drum being laterally movable one relatively to the other; of means to independently press each of said mechanisms toward the drum, an endwise-adjustable ballguide for each of said mechanisms, said guide being open toward the drum, and having a gradually-increasing diameter from one end toward the other.

6. A ball-winding machine comprising a rotatable, ball-winding drum, an arm pivotally supported on the machine to swing toward and from the drum, there being a seat on the free end of said arm to support a ball, together with means supported on said arm near said ball-seat, to restrain the ball against sidewise movement; means to yieldingly press'said free end of the arm toward the drum, and devices to effect a reciprocating movement of the ball and drum, one relative to the other, in a line parallel to the axis of the drum.

7. A ball-winding machine comprising an endwise movable, rotatable, ball winding drum, an arm pivotally supported on the machine to swing toward and from the drum, there being a seat on the free end of said arm to support a ball, together with'a longitunally-tapered trough supported on said arm near the ball-seat to hold the ball in position on its seat means to adjust the trough in the direction of its length, and means to yield ingly press said free end of the arm toward the drum. I

8. A ball-winding machine comprising an endwise-movable, rotatable, ball-winding drum, an arm pivotally supported on the ma chine to swin toward and from the drum; a trough-shape balluide adjustably supported on the free end of said arm, the end of the latter extending into the ball-guide and constituting a seat to support the ball; together with means to yieldin ly press said free end of the arm toward said drum.

9. In a ball-winding machine, the combination with an endwise-movable, rotatable, ball-winding drum, a plurality of ball-holding devices, and means to yieldinglysupport a ball in each of said devices in contact with the drum, and suitable mechanism whereby one of the balls may be separated from the drum independently of the others.

10. In a ball-winding machine of the class described, the combination with a rotatable, ball-winding drum, of a plurality of inde pendently operable ball holding devices, whereby balls having different diameters may be wound simultaneously, and devices to impart reciprocating movements to the drum and ball-holding devices one relative to the other, in a line parallel with the axis of the drum.

11. A ball-winding machine comprising an endwise movable ball Winding, rotatable drum, an L-shaped lever supported on the machine to swin in a plane at right angles to the axis of the rum, an arm pivotally sup ported on one end of said lever in proximity to the drum, means to support a ball on the upper end of said arm, a spring connected to said arm to normally swing the latter away from the drum, suitable means to engage the lower end of the arm, and connections between said means and the L-shaped lever whereby the movement of the latter may ef feet the disengagement of the lower end of said arm at the proper time.

12. In a ball-winding machine, the combination with an endwise-movable, rotatable, ball-winding drum, of a plurality of levers pivotally supported on the machine, and means to yieldingly press thefree ends of said levers toward the drum, means to sup port a ball at the free ends of said levers in contact with the drum, and an independently-operating stop motion for each lever whereby, at the proper time, the separation of the ball and the drum may be effected.

13. In a ball-winding machine, an endwisemovable, ball-winding drum, rotatable on a horizontal axis, an L-shaped lever pivotally supported to swing in a vertical plane, a ballsupporting device on one end of said lever in proximity to theface of the drum, means to normally press a ball in said device against the drum, and mechanism actuated by the movement of the ball-supporting device in the opposite direction, to effect the separation of the ball from the drum at the proper time.

14. In a ball-winding machine, the combination of an arm, having a seat in one end thereof to support a ball, a tapered, trou hshaped ball-guide having a longitudinal ydisposed slot in the bottom thereof, through which. said ball-seat extends, and means to' adjust the guide endwise relative to said seat.

15. In a ball-winding machine, the combination with an arm having a seat in one end thereof to support a ball, a tapered, troughshaped ball-guide supported on said arm, and adjustable in a vertical plane, said guide having a longitudinally-disposed slot in the bottom thereof through which said ball-seat extends.

FRANK J. FAULKNER. Witnesses:

WM. H. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMoNs. 

